Cancer Concentration: Lessons From Neighbors

North Central Florida leads the state in cancer deaths. That fact will likely lead the Gainesville-area region — not far north of Polk in the middle of Central Florida — to take a hard look at itself.

North Central Florida leads the state in cancer deaths. That fact will likely lead the Gainesville-area region — not far north of Polk in the middle of Central Florida — to take a hard look at itself. Lessons from those neighbors to the north may apply here and be worthy of study.The death rates for the state's 10 most prevalent cancers are highest in North Central Florida, reports The Gainesville Sun. The region's rural counties are driving the high mortality rates.There are some cultural differences that might be a factor, because some rural patients can be reluctant to go to the doctor until problems become severe. There are also lifestyle choices at play such as higher smoking rates in rural counties.While one University of Florida expert on pesticides dismissed a link between those chemicals and the higher cancer rates, environmental scientist Bob Knight says it's at least worth exploration.Perhaps the biggest problem is the lack of access to health care and early cancer screenings.Colorectal cancer is a good example of the importance of early detection. It's the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., but highly preventable if polyps are spotted early.

IDEOLOGY VS. HEALTH CAREHowever, conservative state lawmakers are so ideologically opposed to the Affordable Care Act that they would reject federal funding to expand Medicaid.Expanding Medicaid is needed isn't a cure-all. There are a limited number of dentists who take Medicaid, for example. The lack of access to dentists is a reason why African-Americans in the region had 145 percent higher death rates for lip, oral cavity and pharynx cancers compared with African-Americans in the rest of the state.As the population ages and more people get insurance through the Affordable Care Act, a shortage of primary-care doctors is going to get worse. Lifting restrictions on nurse practitioners and physician assistants would help.All of Florida could use help from the state by putting all solutions on the table.